Program Overview
Application Form
Faculty
Areas of Training
Current Students
University of Maryland
Seminars
Home Page

General Information for Students

Where are the faculty whose labs you can work in?
Most are based on the College Park campus. CARB of UMBI is in Rockville; and the NIH labs are in Bethesda.

Admission Requirements:
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution (or the international equivalent).
- Course work in calculus, physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores

Course Requirements:
Typically, the core coursework is completed in the first year.
  • MOCB 630 Molecular Genetics (3 credits), Fall Semester
  • BCHM 674 Nucleic Acid Biochemistry (3 credits), Fall Semester
  • MOCB 639 Advanced Cell Biology (3 credits), Spring Semester or BIOL 708A Eukaryotic Cell Biology (3 credits), Spring Semester
  • MOCB 640 Protein Structure and Function (3 credits), Spring Semester
  • MOCB 608 Seminar (1 credit), Both Semesters
       Fall Semester: Topics in Cell & Developmental Biology
       Spring Semester: Bioethics
  • MOCB 699 Laboratory Rotation (2 credits), Both Semesters

    4 additional credits of graduate level credits are required after the 1st year.

    When to Select a Thesis Advisor:
    Within your first year in the program. You must have an advisor by the end of your first year to remain in the program.

    When to Form Your Thesis Committee:
    It is required that you attempt your candidacy exam by your 5th semester, so it is suggested that you form your committee by the end of your 2nd year.

    Who Makes Up Your Committee:
  • Five Members
  • Four members should be MOCB faculty.
  • No more then two members from the same department, the UMBI, or NIH.
  • One member is your Advisor, and they count as a member of a particular faculty/center.
  • One member is the Dean’s Representative and should be a tenured faculty member that is not an MOCB faculty member.

    Committee Meetings:
  • Annually. Both advisor and student must also submit an annual progress report.

    Advancing to candidacy:
  • Complete your qualifying exam.
  • The Exam must be attempted the first time by the end of fifth semester.
  • Written research proposal on the student's intended dissertation research project is submitted.
  • The completed proposal must be given to the committee at least two weeks before the scheduled date for the oral examination.
  • In a preliminary meeting the proposal is approved/revised. The final presentation is made during the qualifying exam.
  • In the case of failing, the test must be retaken within six months and passed in order to stay in the program.

    Completion of the Dissertation Research:
    The ability to do independent research must be demonstrated by an original dissertation on a topic approved by the Thesis Advisory Committee. A presentation of the thesis work is done in a public seminar. Following the seminar, the student must defend the thesis to the Thesis Committee.

    More details on the graduate student process are available in the MOCB handbook. If you have specific questions, contact the MOCB director (lpick@umd.edu), the MOCB administrative assistant (dbrown14@umd.edu), or current students in the program.
    •    


    Office of the Director, 4112 Plant Sciences Building MD, 20742 Telephone: (301) 405-6958
    Fax: (301) 405-9290 mocbgrad@deans.umd.edu